What's your terrorist score? HSD keeping 'potential-terrorist' database

[sabra]

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_theswamp/2006/12/whats_your_terr.html#more

What's your terrorist score?

So how should we feel about this new program under which the Homeland Security Department will collect data on everyone who travels in and out of the United States and assign them a potential-terrorist score, kind of like a credit-score that will remain in government databases for 40 years?

Unlike credit scores, however, we won't be able to review the new potential-terrorist scores.

Many Americans will probably say, "Well since I'm not a terrorist, I have nothing to fear and if this will make me safer, I'm all for it."

But many other Americans, especially those sensitive to privacy concerns will be very concerned. We know the federal government has made many mistakes when it comes to deciding whose a terrorist and who isn't.

Just consider the $2 million settlement an Oregon lawyer won this week after being falsely accused by the federal government of involvement in the Madrid train bombings because of a mistake reading fingerprints.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. And lets not forget

the numerous people who have similar names or names identical to people that are "terror suspects". The 6 month old baby who was stopped and not allowed to board a plane because of his name will find it only gets harder as he gets older.

[moondust]

2. Paging the ACLU. n/t

[OregonBlue]

3. Not only where, how ,you travel, what you eat , but what you read on the internet

and what sites you post to.

[L0oniX]

4. I'd say that Bush would probably have a high score already

:grr:

[itsmesgd]

5. posting on DU probably doesnt help our scores n/t

[sabra]

6. LOL

[Ian David]

7. It is every American's duty to raise their terror scores as much as legally possible

During WWII, the Nazis forced Jews to all wear yellow stars.

But there was one city where, once the Nazis invaded, every citizen voluntarily wore a yellow star in solidarity with their their Jewish citizens.

Now is the time for everyone to raise their terror scores-- and, if possible, the terror scores of their Republican friends and family and acquaintances.

For my part, I have gone out of my way to join "terror" organizations that I know are being watched by Homeland Security. You know-- Amnesty International and The Sierra Club.

Also, I subscribe to magazines that I know will raise my terror score-- for example, 2600 and The Nation. I don't even usually read The Nation, but I bought a three-year subscription anyway.

What's nice, is you can buy gift memberships and gift subscriptions for your Republican friends.

You can pay for it using your own credit card, or you can go to the mall and use cash to purchase a "gift card" with a Visa logo on it, which you can use online.

In fact, since the pre-paid gift credit cards don't have names on them, you can use any name you like to make your gift purchases. So, for example, you can buy your Republican neighbor (who says only the guilty have something to hide) a gift membership to The Sierra Club from his good friend, "Muhammed Husein Bin Laden."

Go to the library and check-out "forbidden" books. Purchase "suspicious" material (books and magazines) and be sure to use a credit card so it is directly connected to you.

And encourage all your friends to do the same.

If we make everyone suspicious, then suddenly no one is suspicious.